Community, Advocacy and Labor

Lawyers for the family of Nils Yannick Linke have filed a wrongful death lawsuit [pdf] against Joshua Calder, the Oakland man charged with drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter for allegedly mowing down the 22-year-old as he was riding a bicycle on Masonic Avenue last August. The suit also names Calder's girlfriend, Nicole Mairs, and her grandmother, June Soelberg, who was the owner of the 1989 Mercedes involved in the crash.

Supervisor David Chiu, a key player in the city's sustainable transportation movement who gets around on his electric bicycle, was reelected president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors this afternoon on an 8-3 vote.  The 40-year-old District 3 supervisor called on his colleagues to "move beyond the past oppositional politics of personality" and build consensus to tackle some of the city's most pressing problems.

A new report from NRDC and Smart Growth America -- which examines what all 50 states are doing to curb greenhouse gas emissions from transportation -- lauds California as the most progressive state on policy, but points out that its transportation and spending priorities don't match the bold blueprints, particularly as it relates to public transit.

Hundreds of joyous Marin County cyclists pedaled through the Cal Park Hill tunnel Friday afternoon as officials cut the ribbon on a $27 million holiday present that supporters hailed as a national model for green transportation.

After 17 years of planning, the Cal Park tunnel will open to Marin County cyclists today, providing a shorter, safer route between San Rafael and the Larkspur Ferry for an estimated 800,000 riders a year.

Pedestrian and livable streets advocates gathered Thursday for WalkSF’s Annual Member Meeting to celebrate the organization’s success and discuss how to improve walking conditions in San Francisco. Though the speakers -- including WalkSF executive director Elizabeth Stampe, State Senator Mark Leno and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu -- touted recent victories, including funding from vehicle fees via the recently passed Proposition AA and agreements with the upcoming CityPlace retail center, they also argued more action is needed to take on the city’s walkability challenges.

During routine business at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board meeting Tuesday, Director Cheryl Brinkman recounted how enjoyable it was to ride her bicycle on the new physically separated bike lane on Division Street between 9th and 11th Streets. Brinkman said she hoped the SFMTA would consider how it could improve the connection for cyclists between the Wiggle and the Panhandle, including the possibility of adding physical separation to the bike lanes on Fell and Oak Streets between Scott and Baker Streets.

There are a number of highly qualified people on the list of candidates to be the next mayor of San Francisco, and the Board of Supervisors could embark on a nomination process beginning today. What has become abundantly clear to me is that the person replacing Mayor Gavin Newsom should not be a caretaker, but someone who will lead on an issue that touches the lives of every one of our 815,000 residents: transportation.

Chinatown's crowded sidewalks, unsafe crosswalks and poor pedestrian signage are not likely to be among the endearing physical characteristic featured in any tourist brochure. Yet in a recent study -- the San Francisco Chinatown Pedestrian Safety Needs Assessment [pdf] and Safety Plan [pdf] conducted by the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) -- those issues were identified as several of the highest priority concerns for tenants, merchants and visitors to the popular area.